Top Youth Talent Competes at USSSA All-American Games in Florida
The United States Specialty Sports Association celebrated its 10th Annual Fastpitch All-American Games at Florida's Space Coast Complex.
The All-American games, which have been squarely located in Florida since 2018, take the top softball players that are ranked after tryouts throughout the country and invite them to participate in the week of events.
According to Kim Hatcher, National Programs Director at USSSA Fastpitch, the process is quite detailed and intricate to find the players that are invited to the week long games.
"The All-American games start with tryouts," she described. "We host around 24 to 25 tryouts across the country in the spring, starting from February, and then we end in June at the Women's College World Series.
"A lot of kids try out, and then we look at scores, and we have a really select group of athletes. It really is an honor for the kids to get picked, and we hope they feel that way.
"And all of that leads to a five-game guaranteed tournament where the athletes come as individuals and they're placed on teams with athletes from across the country."
Big shoutout to two of our Unity studs!
— Unity 12U Blasi/Johnson (@Unity12U) July 31, 2025
Avery Blake and Sofia Rivera are out in full force representing Unity at the USSSA All American Games! 💪🔥 Proud of you both—go show them what Unity softball is all about! #UnityStrong #USSSAAllAmerican #Unity12UBlasiJohnson pic.twitter.com/GEac0juWfl
“We traveled the country for months, seeing over 2,000 talented, driven athletes — and it’s all led to this," Holly Jones, National Programs Director II at USSSA Fastpitch, said about preparation for the event. "Every stop was worth it to witness the passion and potential these young players bring. The future is bright."
Once the roughly 1,200 players are assembled in Florida, roughly 100 teams are coached by current or former college athletes and college coaches.
Team Teflon’s Deyani Lawrence & Milan Crain in Viera, Fl for the USSSA All American Games! Good luck and have fun! pic.twitter.com/7AAJeRcvxu
— Team Teflon (@TeflonSoftball) July 30, 2025
Opportunity to Learn from Softball's Greatest Players
Beyond having received the distinction and selection to the games, the athletes experience coaching from elite level instructors like former or current collegiate athletes through an instructional clinic that has included some of the biggest names in softball: Jessie Warren (former FSU Seminole and member of Athletes Unlimited and Athletes Unlimited Softball League), SilentRain Espinoza (former USSSA Pride professional player and former Washington Husky), Jailyn Ford (former USSSA Pride member and pitcher for James Madison University, former USA Softball medalist), and Kayla Wedl (former University of Illinois-Chicago player turned coach and former member of Athletes Unlimited).
The six-day All-American Games included an Opening Ceremony, Skills Competition, and Birthday Party themed Parade of Champions on Monday, the Pro Instructional Clinic on Tuesday, Home Run Derbies on Wednesday (9U and 10U) and Friday (11U-14U), and Tournament Play and Championships from Wednesday through Saturday.
Tournament is About More than Competition, Focus on Life Skills
For Hatcher and her staff, the tournament is about more than the games and competition, but a chance for the girls to diversify their environments and be around new people from different parts of the country.
"I think the biggest thing about this tournament is, more than anything, it just gives a different experience than your normal travel ball," she stated. "I mean, a lot of athletes play travel ball year-round sometimes, and it's the same team, same people from your area, all of that, and this is just something different.
"You're going to be put on a team where you don't know anybody, so you make some friends, figure out how to play with people you don't know, and how to get along with people. And then, having a new coach step in, the players learn how to be coached by different people."
Hatcher continued that the tournament creates life skill development, which is crucial for these young girls, "We truly feel if anything, this program is for the athletes to really grow and learn life skills and play softball at the same time."
As the USSSA All-American Games and its organizers look towards the future, Hatcher is a big believer that the experience being offered should be protected.
"I truly feel like our future goals are just making sure the quality of the event gets better and better. I don't think we see the program expanding. We really like 100 teams. We really feel like that is the best amount and quality."
Allison Smith is an expert in leadership and organizational behavior in collegiate and professional women’s sports. Smith is a professor (Georgia State University), researcher, and writer. Smith holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in Kinesiology and Sport Studies. Smith’s research centers on combatting the underrepresentation of women leaders in sport, lack of organizational structure for work life integration for sport employees, and lack of programming and oversight for preparing athletes to transition to life after sport. Since graduating with a bachelor’s in journalism in 2011, Smith has sought opportunities to write about sports as a contributing writer focused on the growth of women’s collegiate, Olympic, and professional sports in this new age and movement for multiple outlets including Athletic Director U, and now Forbes.com. As a former Division I and II pitcher and Division III pitching coach Smith will bring unique insight and expertise to Softball on SI.
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